Companhia Siderurgica de Tubarão (CST) No. 1 blast furnace has been in continuous operation for 21 years, accomplishing a high operational performance with high productivity and low fuel consumption. Seeking its biggest challenge of 18,500 t/m3-IV of productivity, several jobs have been developed in order to extend the furnace campaign until 2008. This paper shows the results of these activities and proposes a different concept of hearth wear.